Notice and Note Book Study Part 2

Welcome back for part 2 of the Notice and Note online book study. Today we are looking at the following:Where does Rigor Fit?

The authors state that rigor does not lie in the complexity of the text we read, but rather in how we interact with the text. Simply selecting a difficult text does not make it rigorous. Instead, we must choose texts that are engaging to students so that they are willing to think in ways that are complex and challenging. I think it is important for teachers to keep abreast of the latest in children's literature and know what type of texts will capture students' attention. I also believe we need to rethink the traditional literature studies that are the simply "read and answer the questions at the end of the chapter" format. I don't think that is truly rigorous.

What do we mean by intellectual communities?Beers and Probst contend that an intellectual community ought to be a place where teachers want to work and students want to learn; where student engagement is high; where students accept the challenging work that is offered. But today's high-stakes testing environment in directly in conflict with that type of intellectual community. Instead, students are taught to be test passers. Too much valuable curriculum is not addressed because it isn't on the test. I believe that students who are taught to think and question deeply will have no trouble passing tests. This section is being hosted by Heather at 2 Brainy Apples. Go there to check out her ideas and add to the link up!